The Bet
by TMI
Summary: Iggy noticed that at the Virginia school, all the girls love Fang and all the boys love Max. He sets up a bet between the two: whomever is asked out the most by the end of the day loses, and has to do whatever the winner wants. Does anyone else smell FAX?
1. You Got Yourself a Proposition

FPOV

"Everybody up!" Max ordered loudly, clattering down the hallway and flinging open bedroom doors willy-nilly. "I mean now!" she added, stepping into the room Iggy and I shared.

I sat up, instantly awake as I threw off my blankets. Iggy groaned into his pillow, pulling his comforter over his head in an attempt to shield himself from Max's voice.

It didn't work.

Max burst into the room, slamming the door against the wall as she did so. "Iggy Ride! Get your lazy butt out of bed now!" Max thundered, ripping the comforter away from Iggy. He simply groaned louder, clutching his pillow over his head. Max stripped that from him too, leaving Iggy lying on the bed in nothing but his boxers.

"Maaaax," Iggy whined, attempting to curl his wings around him for warmth.

"Get up," Max repeated sternly, aiming a well-placed kick at his exposed rear. Iggy yelped, tumbling roughly out of his bed and crashing to the floor. I stifled a laugh, watching Max cross her arms and smile in satisfaction. She turned on me next. "Fang, that means you t-" Max paused mid-word, realizing that I was already standing up and watching her and Iggy. "Oh. Okay then," Max muttered, turning away from me and heading towards the door. "I'll go get the kids up then." Without another word, Max hurried out of the room and down the hall. Her yelling echoed throughout the house again. "Zephyr! Into the shower, pronto!"

Iggy sat up from his sprawled position on the floor, and aimed a mischievous smirk in my direction. "Fang, you definitely are a ladies' man," he snickered.

I chucked my pillow at him, catching him on the side of the head. "Ow!" Iggy whined again, rubbing his head. "What do you keep in that pillowcase? Bricks?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded, walking across the room to where Iggy sat.

"It means my face hurts now!" Iggy grumbled, rubbing his head.

"No, before that. What you said about me being a ladies' man," I reminded him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh." The pained expression melted off Iggy's face, replaced by a knowing smirk. "You know what I mean," Iggy drawled, wiggling his eyebrows suspiciously.

"Uh, no. I don't," I admitted honestly. "What the hell are you talking about, Iggy?"

Iggy just kept smirking as he grabbed his shirt and began to put it on. "Iggy," I said warningly.

He just kept smirking.

"Come on, Igs, just tell me," I wheedled.

"Fine," he sighed dramatically as he zipped up his pants. With yet another infuriating smirk, he slowly pulled on his socks.

"Iggy!"

"Okay, okay!" Iggy finally stopped teasing me. "Max has a crush on you, Fang." Before I could stop it, my jaw dropped. Whatever I had been expecting Iggy to say, that certainly wasn't it. "Frankly, it's very obvious," he added, obviously enjoying my shock.

"Wha?" I managed to say. "No she doesn't, she's-"

"Madly in love with you?" Iggy interjected, chortling happily at my discomfort.

"She's Max!" I insisted. "Max doesn't like me like that."

"Then why was she checking you out in your lovely sleepwear?" Iggy asked slyly, gesturing towards me. As always, I was clad in only my boxers. But Iggy had only been wearing boxers too, so he had no right to say anything about mine.

Plus, he just didn't make sense. Max didn't like me!

Did she?

"Max wasn't checking me out!" I protested.

"Fang, Fang, Fang," Iggy clucked, coming over to clap me on the shoulder. "You're in denial. Did you see her reaction?"

"Yeah, but-"

"How might you explain that?" Iggy demanded gleefully. I had no answer, and Iggy began to cackle. "You know I'm right! Fang and Maxie, sitting in a tree!" Iggy bounded out of the room, grinning from ear to ear.

I stood there, dumbfounded by Iggy's declaration. Max liked me? Since when?

Then something else occurred to me. "HOW WOULD YOU EVEN KNOW? YOU'RE BLIND!" I yelled.

Iggy just laughed in reply.

Damn boy.

MPOV

I rushed out of Fang and Iggy's room as quickly as I could without looking too conspicuous. Oh lord, that felt so awkward.

For some reason, I just couldn't look at Fang while he was standing there oh-so-casually in only a pair of black boxers. Iggy, I could deal with, probably because he looked so funny with his wings wrapped all around his body, and he was whining his ass off like a toddler. And Iggy wasn't Fang either, which probably helped.

After all, I hadn't ever kissed Iggy. Thankfully.

After you kiss a boy who's been practically your brother for over a decade, things kind of change. Before, I didn't even bat an eye when Fang wasn't fully dressed. Now, I felt very highly aware of everything about him, including how much clothing he was wearing at the time.

Especially how much clothing he was wearing.

"Nudge, are you getting ready for school?" I asked, walking into her room. Nudge looked up from her bed, where she was brushing her hair, and smiled at me.

"Yeah Max, I'm almost done," Nudge replied happily, gesturing towards herself. She had already put on her school uniform, and was brushing out her braids.

"Good job," I praised her. "Is Gazzy in the shower yet?"

"I'm going, I'm going," Gazzy called, hurrying past Nudge's room  
>towards the bathroom.<p>

"Make it snappy," I called back. "I'm gonna check on Angel."

"I'll be downstairs in a few minutes, Max," Nudge sang, brushing her hair more vigorously.

I stepped into Angel's room next, only to find her still snoozing. Total was curled up on her pillow, and Angel was peacefully sleeping beside him. I shook my head, smiling as I walked up to her bed and brushed the hair away from her forehead. "Ange, sweetie," I murmured. "You need to wake up now. It's almost time for school."

Angel shifted, and after a moment, opened her eyes and smiled at me. "Hi Max," she breathed, still half-asleep.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," I sang back, smiling down at her.

Angel laughed, sitting up and throwing her blankets back. Total grumbled something in his sleep, but didn't move off her pillow. "I'll get ready now," Angel promised.

"Do you need any help?" I asked, already walking towards the door. I knew what her answer would be.

"I'm okay, Max. Thank you," Angel said, opening the drawer to her dresser and pulling out her skirt.

When I got to the kitchen, Anne and Iggy were already by the stove, collaborating on an effort to teach Anne how to make edible pancakes. "Good morning, Max," Anne told me, looking up from the mixing bowl she was hovering over. "Are you ready for school?"

I looked down at my Prep-School Barbie uniform, as Nudge had named it, with badly disguised distaste. "Unfortunately," I mumbled, opening the fridge and looking through for the orange juice. "Krystal should be here in a moment, Zephyr is in the shower, and Ariel is getting dressed."

"You're so on top of things, Max," Anne complimented me. "Thank you for getting the kids ready."

"It's not like I haven't ever done it before," I murmured quietly, so Anne couldn't hear.

"Where's Nick?" I asked Iggy, pouring my juice into a cup.

Iggy smirked, which was slightly strange, before replying. "Oh, he's probably still getting dressed," Iggy told me, like it was the funniest thing he'd ever said. I stared at him blankly, not understanding, while simultaneously trying to block out images of Fang getting dressed from my mind.

Before I had a chance to ask Iggy what he meant, Nudge and Angel skipped into the kitchen, both already dressed in their uniforms. Total trotted groggily behind them. He apparently hadn't fully woken up yet, because he kept bumping into the walls. "Good morning!" Angel sang, sitting down at the table.

"Max, Zephyr stole my makeup bag again, and I think he's trying to find a way to ignite my eyeshadow using only mascara and a magnifying glass!" Nudge complained, plopping down next to Angel.

"I'll talk to him," I promised, hiding a smile behind my hand. "Want juice?"

As I was pouring juice for Angel and Nudge, Fang slipped into the kitchen, thankfully fully dressed in his uniform this time. I could feel his gaze on me, but tried to concentrate on not dropping the juice pitcher. It was unnerving to have Fang scrutinizing me this early in the morning.

"Good morning, Nick," Anne greeted him.

"Morning," Fang mumbled, sitting down next to Nudge. "Can I have the juice, Max?"

"Sure," I replied, sliding the pitcher across the table and handing him a glass.

"Pancakes are ready!" Iggy announced, flipping a steaming one onto one of six tall stacks. I grabbed the plates from the counter and distributed them, leaving one by the empty chair for Gazzy. Anne had her own, much smaller stack to eat with her coffee, and she kept gushing about what an amazing cook Iggy was.

I poured a glass of milk for Gazzy, since he was the only one who actually liked it, and set it down by his plate. I tried to concentrate on eating my pancakes, but it was very hard to do when Fang kept sneaking glances at me every time he thought I wouldn't notice.

What was with him? I dearly hoped he hadn't picked up on any of the weird reactions I was beginning to get from seeing him more than half-naked. 

And that was a very awkward sentence.

Gazzy walked into the kitchen last, dressed in his uniform and with his hair spiked up and still dripping. Without a word, he fell into his chair and started eating his pancakes. Gazzy never talked very much after showers-they always seemed to make him quieter than usual.

Sometimes I wished that was also the case with Nudge.

Right now, for instance, she was talking so quickly that I was convinced she would choke on her pancakes and die right there at the kitchen table. "ZOMG okay so this girl in my science class, her name is Lauren Hesselink, isn't that a pretty name? So yeah, she was pouring these chemicals into a beaker, and I was like, refusing to touch them 'cause they were really creepy, and she was all, 'OMG Krystal you're so weird!' and I was like 'ZOMG you don't know the half of it, Lauren!' And she invited me to her house after school tomorrow, is that okay Max?"

Anne looked a little put out at not being asked first, but I was secretly very happy. "That sounds fine, Nudge," I told her. "Just make sure you follow flock procedure first."

Nudge nodded, smiling happily as she continued to inhale her pancakes. She knew the drill: make sure they aren't dangerous, be polite, don't eat an abnormal amount of food, and mark all possible exits in the house.

"I'm going to go feed the animals now, call me when you're all finished with breakfast," Anne announced, standing up and putting her plate in the sink. We all nodded, watching as she walked out the back door.

As soon as Anne was gone, Angel, Nudge and Gazzy immediately erupted into some sort of argument over Nudge's makeup bag. I was about to break up the fight when Iggy tapped me on the shoulder. Startled, I almost punched his head off before realizing it was him.

Iggy was oblivious to how close he had come to being beheaded. "Hey Max, Fang, I wanted to tell you guys something," he started, a wicked little smile curling on his lips.

Hopefully he hadn't destroyed a national monument. Iggy had always said it was on his to-do list, and I could never quite tell if he was joking or not.

"What?" Fang asked, finishing his last bite of pancake. I kept my eyes on Iggy's face, trying to pick out any hint of guilt that would say he had torched something.

"I noticed at school that all of the guys have been drooling over Max," Iggy observed, grinning at me.

I resisted the urge to slap him, and instead I simply smiled. "Go on," I said pleasantly. "But please be aware that your life is endangered at the present."

Iggy pretended not to hear me. "I have also noticed that all the girls are drooling over Fang," he continued.

I glanced at Fang, who was busy impersonating a brick wall. "Do go on," I urged Iggy, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"So I wanted to set up a little bet," Iggy plowed on, ignoring my comment once more. "Whichever one of you gets asked out the most by the end of the day is the loser, and has to pay the winner twenty bucks."

"I don't have twenty bucks," Fang pointed out.

"Neither do I," I added.

Iggy looked pained at our poverty. "Fine, then the loser has to do whatever the winner wants them to do. Sound good?"

Fang and I looked at each other, and shrugged. "Whatevs," I sighed. "Fang will get asked out more than me anyway, so it doesn't really matter."

Fang looked annoyed by my comment, for some reason. "What makes you say that?" he demanded. "The Sam-weiner already asked you out."

I glared at him. "Shut up. And don't call him that- Sam is nice."

Fang snorted. "Right," he muttered.

"Oh, and there's one other thing," Iggy said, interrupting the glaring contest Fang and I were having. "If one of you gets kissed, then you're automatically the loser."

"Oh, this will be easy then!" I exclaimed. "Lissa dearest can't keep away from Fang!"

Fang scowled at me, and for a second I thought he was going to punch me. "Shut up," he growled finally. "I don't like Lissa, and she understands that."

"Right, Fang. Whatever you say," I replied doubtfully.

Fang looked about ready to strangle me at this point. I grinned, happy to be able to get such a visible emotional reaction from him.

"So is it a deal?" Iggy pressed.

"Sure," I replied confidently.

"Fine," Fang growled.

"Shake on it," Iggy ordered.

Fang and I grasped hands and shook, staring each other down. "Max is gonna win," I sang. "Lissa's gonna help her!"

Fang was very peeved at me on the car ride to school. I ignored his mood, instead talking to Gazzy about returning Nudge's makeup bag. He was a bit reluctant at first, but he cheered up when I told him I would let him use the makeup kit Anne had given me.

Iggy spent the ride conferring with Angel. She was going to help out with the bet by looking in our minds at the end of the day and counting how many times we had been asked out. This ensured that we couldn't cheat. After all, Fang and I are survivors. We do anything to come out on top.

Anne dropped us off at school with a wave and a warning not to receive any more calls from the principal. We smiled and nodded until she finally left, then headed into the school.

The hallway was bustling with students, but they practically parted before Iggy, Fang and I. Not only did we tower over the majority of the other kids, but we were apparently popular now, too.

Frankly, I had no idea how that had happened.

"Hey Max!" I whirled around, only to see a blonde girl in a flowered sun dress waving at me, before disappearing into the crowd. I stared at the spot where she had been, utterly confused. I had never seen that girl before in my life.

"How did she know my name?" I murmured to Fang.

Fang shrugged. "I dunno. Everybody knows all of us, for some reason."

"ZOMG we're like celebrities!" Nudge gushed. "This is so cool! Hi Kaylee! Hi Liza-Beth! Hi Marta!" Nudge ran off to greet some random girls, and we lost her in the crowd.

After a few minutes, Iggy and Fang peeled off from our group to go head to their lockers. Gazzy and Angel waved energetically at me before disappearing down a flight of stairs to the lower house area. I pushed away the worried feeling that rushed me from the flock being separated, and walked up to my locker. As I dialed in the combination, I tried to relax. Crowds were normal for school. I needed to get used to it.

Yay crowds.

After stuffing the majority of my backpack into my locker, I shut the door and turned to go to my homeroom. "Hey, Max!" someone called.

I whirled around and instantly crouched into a fighting position. Had there been an Eraser infiltration of the school? Was my flock in possible danger? My mind raced through possible conclusions, my heart pounding, before I saw that it was only some random kid.

Not an Eraser, not a whitecoat, I tried to assure myself. I was safe. Safety.

The boy had come up to me now, and was looking at me expectantly. It took me a second to realize I hadn't responded. "Oh, umm, hi," I said lamely.

"I'm Jason, you know, from your history class," the guy said helpfully, flashing me a smile. I smiled weakly in return, wondering what the heck Jason From my History Class wanted.

"Yeah, I knew that," I lied. "What's up?"

"I know that we've only known each other for about a week," Jason began. I laughed internally. _Buddy, I've only known you for thirty seconds_. "But I think you're really cool. So, uh, would you go out with me?"

Hold the phone- did this guy really just ask me to date him?

I stared at him in shock. "Uh, what?" I asked stupidly.

Jason looked embarrassed. "I understand if you don't want to, it's just-"

"I'm sorry," I interrupted, forcing myself to smile at him again. "But I have to get to class now. See you in history!" Without another word, I practically ran down the hallway and lunged into my homeroom.

That was close.

I sighed, slumping down at my desk. With a glance at both the clock and the empty seats around me, I realized that it was indeed very early in the day. In fact, I had only been at the school for about five minutes.

This bet might be harder than I thought.

**LOLZ. I really wanted to write this, for some reason. =P******

**Review and tell me whatcha think! I'll love you forever! Even if your review is a flame!******

**Gazzy: and she means it, too. -_-"******

**~TMI~****  
><strong>


	2. Best Bet I Ever Lost

**Yay! I'm so happy that I got such a great response to this. XD It's kinda for my Fax-deprived School Days readers. So yeah!**

**Did I forget to mention this is only a two-shot? Whoops.**

**DEDICATED TO MY BEAUTIFUL REVIEWERS. I love you guys best. =) **

**Integrity21, I Hate Jam (lol I love your name), JealousMindsThinkAlike, The Seagull, , MPHknows, ADarkWingedForever, whocares1313, Random Dude At Your Service! Love you guys!**

FPOV

I plowed through the day, trying to dodge girls as much as I could. Whatever I told Max, Lissa had definitely not gotten the picture that I didn't like her. Lissa alone had already asked me out three times in homeroom.

Lissa was bold, too. After she had kissed me that day after school, I tried to avoid her as much as I could. Unfortunately, Lissa would not be deterred. She seemed to be under the impression that I was playing hard to get.

I sat down at my desk in first period, arranging my face into the stoniest, unfriendliest mask I could manage. Iggy sat beside me, obviously set on kicking back and watching the results of the bet play out.

Despite my mask, and the aura of 'I-kill-you' I was doing my best to radiate, literally forty-eight seconds after the bell rang, the boy in front of me, Luke, turned and passed me a many-times folded note. Confused, I unfolded it and read the pink writing inside.

_Hey Nick, will you go out with me?__  
><em>_~Lily_

There were little pink hearts scrawled all over the paper. I grimaced inwardly, focusing on keeping my face still in its unfeeling mask. Lily turned around in her seat at the front of the classroom and smiled flirtatiously at me. Wordlessly, I shook my head at her.

Lily's smile melted, and she whipped back around to face the front. Add one more dating offer from a crazy girl that I don't really even know to the list. "That's the fifth time," I muttered, crumpling the paper up and tossing it to the ground.

"You got asked again? By who?" Iggy asked, obviously amused.

"Lily. What is it, Ask Out Nick Ride Day? Did I miss a memo or something?" I groaned.

"Psst! Nick!" Someone whispered. I turned reflexively at the sound of my alias, but instantly wished I hadn't. Jeanne, yet another confident redhead in my class, was smiling sweetly at me. "Will you go out with me? Please? I promise I'll be good," she wheedled, apparently trying to sound seductive.

I shook my head. "No thanks. I'm taken," I lied. It was best to stick with my non-existent New Yorker girlfriend. Maybe that way I would get less offers, and manage to beat Max in this bet.

Jeanne frowned at my response, flipping her hair haughtily as she turned away. "Fine," she hissed. "You don't know what you're missing here, Nicholas."

Iggy was practically choking on withheld laughter. "If you're so popular, why aren't girls asking you out too?" I demanded.

Iggy pinkened, and I actually smiled at his discomfort. Well, this was entertaining. For once it wasn't me being embarrassed. "Well, I, umm," Iggy stammered.

"Yes?" I prompted innocently.

Iggy scowled at me. "I already have a girlfriend," he muttered.

"And you didn't tell me? Who is it? Does Max know?" I asked. If Max knew Iggy had a regular girlfriend… there would be hell to pay for him. Girlfriends were a no-no, due to our extra feathery appendages. It was just a bad idea to get close with regular people, especially if we didn't even know them very well.

"You're beginning to sound like Nudge, Fang. That is worrying," Iggy mumbled, banging his head against the desk. "Her name is Tess, and Max doesn't have a clue. Don't you dare tell her!"

"Oh, I won't," I promised. "This will be excellent blackmail though."

"Gee, thanks Fang," Iggy grumbled.

Things were beginning to look up today.

"Hey Nick! Nick, will you go out with me pleeease?"

"Seven," Iggy counted sweetly. "I wonder how Max is doing with her admirers."

Scratch that. The world is a horrible place.

**O.o.O.o:O:o.O.o.O**

By lunchtime, I had been asked out twenty-six times, and had declined all twenty-six. Some girls cried, others got angry, and at least four particularly insulted ones slapped me across the face. I didn't even know at least eighteen of them! Did they really expect me to date them after I had known them all of a week and a half? Maybe this was the way normal teenagers acted. After all, who was I to judge? I was probably the best antonym of normal ever exemplified.

Iggy found every offer very funny, and he laughed for five minutes straight after the third one slapped me. I was ready to murder him and bury his body in Anne's barn by the end of fourth period.

As we sat down to lunch together, yet another girl sidled up to me and smiled shyly. "Hey, Nick," she began. "I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go out with me?"

Iggy nearly choked on his sandwich from holding in his laughter. I didn't bat an eye, but simply shook my head. "Sorry, I have a girlfriend," I told her, repeating the phrase I had already said at least twenty times today.

The girl's eyes widened. "OhmiGod, I'm so so sorry!" she gushed. "I didn't know that, I swear!"

"Don't worry about it," I assured her, staring at my sandwich.

The girl looked at me hesitantly for a moment, then slipped off into the crowd again. Iggy burst out laughing, nearly falling off the bench in the midst of the hilarity. "Who even was that?" he managed to gasp out between giggles.

"I have no idea," I muttered, pulling my sweatshirt hood over my head.

"What are you two giggling about?" someone asked, sounding amused. I looked up, only to see an unidentified girl standing before me. I froze, hoping she wasn't about to ask me out too.

"For the record, I am not giggling," I muttered, staring down at my sandwich again. It certainly was very interesting. Oh yes.

"Oh, hi Tess," Iggy greeted her, wiping his streaming eyes. "I'm laughing at poor Nick. He has this bet with our sister Max, and it's just the best entertainment ever."

So this was Iggy's girlfriend. I looked her over again. She was pretty, I guess, with light brown eyes and dark brown curls, but looks didn't really matter all that much if you were dating a blind dude. Tess sat down on Iggy's other side, and he picked up her hand in his.

Gag me.

"What's the bet?" Tess asked conversationally. "You've really got me curious here."

"Whoever gets asked out the most by the end of the day is the loser, and they have to do whatever the winner decides," Iggy replied. "F-Nick has been asked twenty-seven times already.

Tess whistled, craning her neck around Iggy to see me. "Dang, boy, you must have really impressed these girlies!" she exclaimed.

I grimaced, making her laugh. "I really wish I hadn't," I told her honestly.

Tess laughed again, although I wasn't exactly sure why. "Most guys at our school would love to be in your position, Nick. Asked out twenty-seven times before lunch, and to have the ability to decline them all!"

"I already have a girlfriend," I explained, the lie coming to me easily after over twenty uses. "Long-distance relationship."

"Oh, really? What's her name?" Tess asked. She looked genuinely curious.

"Max," Iggy coughed, looking mischievous.

"-Ine! Her name is Maxine," I invented, kicking Iggy under the table. He was such an idiot sometimes.

"Maxine? Wow. Is it awkward to be in a relationship with someone who has the same name as your sister?" Tess asked.

I shook my head. "Not really," I hedged shortly. I really, really wanted to get off the subject of my non-existent New Yorker girlfriend who happened to be named Maxine. It was making me uncomfortable.

Thankfully, Nudge and Max had come to the table, towing along another girl with them. "Yo," Max greeted us sourly, plopping down in the seat next to me.

The unknown girl laughed. "Max is mad because she's been having problems with her bet with you," she explained to me, sitting down on Max's other side. "I'm JJ, b-t-dubs."

I decided to ignore the unintelligable end of her sentence, and focused on the first part. "How many?" I asked simply, looking at Max.

Max growled, ferociously ripping the Saran wrap off of her sandwich.

Nudge giggled, and JJ looked very amused. "Max got asked twenty-seven  
>times! Can you believe that? Twenty-seven! That's just crazy!" Nudge<br>gushed, waving her apple around to emphasize her point.

"Nick got asked out twenty-seven times too," Iggy declared. "They're at a tie!"

Max and I looked at each other grimly. "Ties are for losers," Max informed me. "This will not happen again."

A boy with black hair walked up to our table, looking confident. "Hey Max, will you go out with me?" he asked casually, like it wasn't a problem to ask in front of her siblings and friends.

I felt a jolt of protectiveness shoot through me, and suddenly had the urge to beat the boy up for asking Max out. I shook my head a little, trying to dislodge the feeling. Was that normal?

Luckily, Max was looking at him murderously, while everybody else at the table had burst out laughing. I just smirked, crossing my arms over my chest as I tried to banish the protectiveness from my system. "No, I will not," Max replied frostily. "Sorry."

She didn't sound very sorry.

For some reason, that made me feel happy.

While her disappointed admirer walked away dejectedly, I leaned over and whispered in Max's ear, "You were right. We aren't tied anymore. But you're still a loser."

Max didn't reply, instead choosing to rip viciously into her sandwich.

I continued to smirk. All was going according to plan.

**O.o.O.o:O:o.O.o.O**

I was asked out three more times by the end of the lunch period, once by this girl from my math class, once by another girl I didn't even know, and the last by none other than Lissa. That girl just could not take a hint.

"Nick, why are you being so evasive?" she asked, pouting sadly at me.

"I have a girlfriend," I replied evenly, trying to maneuver around her to get to my next class.

"Yeah? What's her name?" Lissa challenged.

"Maxine," I told her, using the name Iggy had concocted.

Lissa wrinkled her nose at me. "Isn't like, your sister's name Maxine? Isn't that awkward to date a girl with your sister's name?"

I rolled my eyes. "No," I replied shortly, not specifying which question I was answering. "Now I really need to get to class."

As soon as I walked into my fifth period class, history, I was ambushed by yet another girl. This one kept twirling her blonde braids around her finger, and was biting her lip nervously as she spoke. "Hi Nick, I was just wondering if you'd want to go out with me? I think we would make a good pair," she offered, smiling brightly at me.

"Sorry, I have a girlfriend," I repeated dully, heading towards my seat.

Iggy waltzed in behind me. He had gone off with Tess for awhile during lunch, leaving me defenseless against the hordes of girls clamoring to ask me out. Max and I had sat together for awhile, trying to look fierce and intimidating. It hadn't really worked out that well, considering we were both asked out three more times. Max had been at thirty-one, while I was only at thirty. However, that blonde girl had just tied me up with Max again. Damn it! I needed to win this bet. There was no doubt in my mind that Max could and would be ruthless if she won.

I found it hard for me to hope that more boys had asked Max out. I knew perfectly well that she could take care of herself. I just didn't like the idea that other guys were liking Max enough to ask her out.

Iggy's comments from this morning drew into my mind suddenly. According to him, Max liked me. Was that really true?

I found that a large part of me was hoping that she did.

Before I could begin to be shocked at this new revelation, Iggy sat down in the chair beside me. "How many so far?" he asked, grinning wickedly.

I was momentarily thrown by his question- my thoughts had been on Max. "What?" I asked, oh-so-intelligently.

Iggy rolled his eyes at me. "The bet?" he reminded me, speaking slowly and loudly as if I was stupid.

"Oh, right. Thirty-one," I told him.

Iggy snickered, shaking his head. "The girls at this school are such saps. Well, except for Tess," he added affectionately.

"There's only two more periods," I murmured. "I could still win this bet."

"That's the spirit," Iggy yawned, clapping my shoulder. "Now watch out. It looks like Mr. Dalito is handing out a pop quiz."

Luckily for me and the bet, Mr. Dalito's pop quiz was very long and difficult. He also demanded utter silence, and declared that any note-passing would lead to automatic failure and detention. This meant I was safe from being asked out during his class.

It also meant I would be receiving a nice D- on the quiz, since I had no idea what the hell the Alamo were, nor did I know who the twenty-ninth president was. That didn't really matter though. I had never yet encountered a crazed scientist who wouldn't torture me only if I recited the line of American presidency perfectly.

The drought of date offers unfortunately halted outside of history class, though. As soon as I stepped into the hallway, two girls literally asked me out at the exact same time.

"Um, sorry. I have a girlfriend," I explained, the excuse stale in my mouth. I quickly walked away from the girls as they glared at each other, praying that no more of their kind would approach me today.

"Yo, Nick!" a girl called out behind me.

I almost sped up and ducked into the nearest classroom at the sound of another female voice calling my name, before I realized it was Max. "Oh, it's you," I murmured, sighing in relief.

Max raised an eyebrow, obviously confused, but plowed on. "How many have you got?" she asked.

"Thirty-three. You?"

Max pressed her hands to her forehead, obviously exasperated by my answer for some reason. "Thirty-three," she groaned. "What happens if it's a tie?"

"Duel to the death?" I suggested.

Max's lips quirked up in an unexpected smile. "Possibly. Of course, I would kick your ass."

"No," I replied calmly, grinning at her.

Max snorted, then turned and walked off to class again. "See you later, Fnick," she called once, before disappearing into the throng.

I arrived in my last class a few minutes late as a result of my chat with Max, with only one mission in mind. I had to somehow deflect any possible dating offers before they occurred, but how?

I settled this by pulling my hood tightly over my head and digging my face deep into my arms, which were folded on the desk top. I was screaming anti-social here. That should deter any girls hunting for a good boyfriend.

Unfortunately, some people are completely oblivious to hints. In some people, this quality is funny and/or endearing, like in Gazzy. However, in a person such as Lissa, it is terribly annoying.

"Nick, come on, talk to me," she crooned. "Please go out with me! Come on, I'm reduced to begging here!"

"Thirty-four," Iggy murmured on my other side.

"Come on Nick? Please? Will you just go on one teensy little date with me?"

"Thirty-five," Iggy added.

"Niiiiiick I'm just gonna keep asking! Please go out with me!"

"Thirty-six."

"I'm warning you, Nick, if you don't answer me… just come on! Please just go on a date with me! Please!"

"Thirty-seven."

"Niiiiick! Go out with me! Pleeeeaase!"

"Thirty-eight."

"Ms. Boothe, can I please go to the bathroom?" I requested.

Ms. Boothe looked bemused, but nonetheless nodded and handed me a pass. I had to restrain myself in order to keep myself from running out of the room.

Oh dear lord, Lissa was more persistent than Angel. And that was saying something.

I spent the rest of the class period hiding in a corner of the hallway, using my special blending-in power to keep out of sight. I waited until the final bell had rung and students had poured out of every door before mixing in with the crowd once more.

"Nick! Nick! Nick Ride!" Gazzy yelped, suddenly materializing at my elbow. "Max got asked out thirty-four times! How many did you get asked?"

"Oh crap," I hissed, stopping in my tracks. Max had won. She had won the bet.

And it was all Lissa's fault.

But wait. There was still one shred of hope gleaming in the horribly miserable fate of losing the bet that awaited me. I had just one chance.

"Hey Gazzy," I asked, trying to keep my heart from beating faster at the very idea of what I was about to do. "Do you know where Max is?"

**O.o.O.o:O:o.O.o.O******

**MPOV**

I smiled triumphantly as I walked down the now-empty hallways. The entire day, the non-stop offers from boys, the jealous acts of other girls, and the dread that Fang would win the bet- it was all worth it. It was all well worth it, because I had won the bet, only asked out thirty-four times to Fang's thirty-eight.

Iggy had told me that Lissa dearest had resorted to begging in an attempt to convince Fang to agree to a date. She had apparently asked him out no less than eleven times the entire day.

A bubble of jealousy and anger blossomed in my chest at the very thought of her, but I tried to push it down. I closed my eyes, stopping in the middle of the empty hallway. I had no reason to be jealous of Lissa. Fang didn't even like her at all.

But she had kissed him.

But he didn't like her.

But she had kissed him, and he kissed her back.

I sighed in annoyance, trying to shove the unwanted thoughts and feelings about Fang away. I didn't need to deal with any feelings about Fang except for annoyance and friendship. There was absolutely no reason for me to even keep thinking along the track my mind was headed right now.

I tried to focus on my present task. Fang had hidden himself somewhere in the school, and I had been elected to go look for him, somehow. He had probably hidden in an attempt to get away from me and my prize of getting him to do whatever I wanted. I smiled at the thought, continuing along the hallway.

Fang was nowhere in sight.

I leaned back against a bank of lockers, and closed my eyes. I was feeling unusually drained today, probably from the stress of the bet that had been on my shoulders, coupled with my normal anxiety about the flock being split up.

The bet had been altogether ridiculous, in hindsight. The problem was that Fang and I were stubborn enough that the fact it was ridiculous wasn't a problem for us. I wanted to prove that Lissa was totally obsessed with Fang, and Fang had been adamant about Sam liking me far too much.

Well, Sam had asked me out four times today, but that was beside the point. Lissa had begged Fang to date her eleven times. Eleven times!

I mean, seriously.

After I felt slightly more reenergized, I decided that I had better keep searching for Fang. It wasn't like he was just going to appear out of nowhere.

When I opened my ryes, the only thing I could see were two dark eyes and a curtain of thick black bangs clouding my vision. "Fang!" I yelped, shocked by his closeness. "How did you- where were you- why are you right in front of my face?" I finished weakly. I pressed my palms flat against the cool metal of the lockers behind me, trying to calm my suddenly racing heartbeat.

"I've been around," Fang replied quietly, his breath tickling my face. Without looking away from his eyes, I slowly began to realize that his hands were against the lockers on either side of my head, boxing me in, and his body was less than six inches away from mine. Fang leaned down slightly, gazing down at me from his height of four inches taller than me.

"Oh," I managed to squeak out.

"Yeah," Fang agreed, tilting his head slightly to the side. "Oh."

And then, without any further explanation, Fang leaned in further and kissed me.

I froze at first, completely shocked by every and all of Fang's actions. He kept his lips pressed to mine though, and I hadn't woken up, so I assumed this was actually happening.

Hesitantly, I lifted my hands from the lockers and linked them around Fang's neck, pulling him further down to my level.

Fang's lips curled up in a smile, and I had to smile myself. Suddenly, he stepped forward, knocking his knees against mine and pressing his body to me.

I nearly collapsed right there. I was lucky I had the lockers behind me for support, and that Fang's hands were now securely attached to my waist. Tilting my head further into the kiss, I slid my hands up from the base of his neck into his long tendrils of smooth, soft hair.

So this was what perfection was like.

After a moment, Fang pulled away gently, straightening to his full height. I was forced to let go of his lovely, soft hair, but I settled on placing my hands at his shoulders. I looked up at him, feeling shy and confused at the emotions roaring in my chest.

"I felt like you should know that, especially after today," Fang murmured.

He didn't specify what 'that' was, and I didn't need to ask. Instead, with a warm, shivery feeling haunting the pit of my stomach, I tightened my grip on his shoulders and laid my head against his chest. Fang held me against him, silently sinking in the moment. Sighing softly in contentment, I closed my eyes.

"Max?" he asked quietly after a moment. "Do you know what this means?"

"That we aren't just friends?" I offered quietly, my voice sounding very small.

Fang shook his head, then paused. "Well, yeah, that too," he agreed. "But I meant, do you know what else this means, apart from the way I'm feeling about you, and the way I hope you're feeling about me?"

I thought for a moment, but I kept getting distracted by Fang's warmth surrounding me. "I dunno. What does it mean?" I asked finally.

"It means that I win the bet."

I was silent for a moment, Fang's words sinking in, before my eyes flew open and my head rocketed off his chest. I stared at him in disbelief. Fang was smirking, his dark eyes dancing with mischief. "What?" I yelped. "No it doesn't! I won the bet! You got asked out thirty-eight times, and I was only asked thirty-four!"

"But you got kissed, which means automatic 'You Lose'!" Fang reminded me, his smirk growing at my protests.

"But, I kissed you too! So doesn't that mean it's a draw?" I demanded.

Fang shook his head, his smirk growing into a full-out grin. "Nope, because I kissed you, you didn't kiss me. I am unaffected."

I glared at him, punching him hard in the shoulder. Fang scowled at me, taking a hand off my waist to rub his hurt shoulder. "Ow! Geez Max, be a good sport," he chided.

"Shut up," I grumbled, trying to peel his other hand off my waist.

His grip on me only tightened further, and his other hand flew quickly to my back, keeping me cradled against him. "Max," he murmured, his voice serious. "I got so jealous today, of all those random guys, guys that didn't even know you but still had a chance to ask you to date them."

I shivered involuntarily, unable to look away from Fang's eyes. "I was jealous too," I admitted quietly. "And I was about ready to rip Lissa's head off."

Fang smirked. "She is annoying, isn't she?"

"Tell me about it," I muttered. "That girl needs to learn what the word 'no' means."

Fang's smirk turned into a grin. "Aww, I feel special," he teased. "Max is getting protective over me."

I scowled at him darkly, attempting to pull his hands away from their positions anchored at my waist and the small of my back. "Get off me, you jerk," I complained, wriggling uselessly in his grasp.

Fang smiled at me, tilting his head closer. "But Max," he breathed onto my lips, causing me momentary paralysis. "I haven't gotten my prize yet."

I fought to breathe normally. Fang was a dirty cheater, that was for sure. I wouldn't be affected by him. I wouldn't be affected by him. I wouldn't be-

Fang pressed his hand against my back, nudging me gently towards him. I swallowed heavily as we came in full contact with each other, the blood rushing crazily in my ears. I had never felt so warm in my entire life. Even our shins were pressed together.

"So what do you want me to do?" I managed to ask, trying to ignore the fact my hands were creeping back up to Fang's shoulders against my will.

Fang leaned even closer, so our noses were brushing. "Max," he whispered.

I could barely concentrate on what Fang was saying: his lips were just touching mine, and with every word he spoke, they moved up and down against mine in the most disarming way possible. "Max," he repeated, his voice soft. "I want you."

I couldn't say anything, I could barely even think. The only thing I was capable of doing was leaning forward into Fang's hold and pressing my lips firmly against his. He tilted his head in reply, his fingers tightening their grip on my waist and back. I slipped my hands back into his hair, pulling his head closer to me.

This was the best bet I had ever lost.

**Awwww! I loooooveee FAX! yay!******

**So yeah, you guys know the drill. Review please! I'll love you forever! So will Gazzy!******

**Gazzy: umm, sure.******

**~TMI~**


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